A Silly Songbird

    

      I was listening to some music by a band that I really liked while sitting outside on the screened-in deck. A little songbird showed up and stayed for awhile. Most birds won't sit that long or even come that close in the first place. After the song was over, I was still looking at her, and she suddenly did something unexpected. There was a wind chime located directly below her and she fluttered down to it and kicked the chimes with her little feet, like she knew exactly what she was doing. Maybe she did. Maybe she had done it before. She went over onto another part of the deck and snatched up a moth, and then she must have decided she didn't like it because I saw it fall from her beak. Lastly, she flew onto the limb of a nearby tree. I have learned that there's a chance songbirds not only like to sing songs, they like to listen to them too. I have also learned that a certain little songbird has learned how a wind chime works.

Throughout the World - Known for their Songs

     Some people might say that they are known for their disturbing sounds. I have gotten used to their songs and they really don't bother me at all. Cicadas are commonplace during the summer months, especially in the country. They remind me of camping, which I like.
     As usual I was outside searching for an animal, any animal. I saw a cicada hanging on the side of some wooden steps and noticed it was covered with dirt. I usually just see the shells with no dirt so I figured this one had just come out of the ground.

     I remember hearing on the news that the people of the east coast of the United States were awaiting the arrival of a lot of them. I guess the news was trying to warn the people to be ready for the noise. I, along with others in the south, are so used to the sound that it wouldn't be that big of news here. I suddenly notice another cicada located on a step right below this one. It had another animal beside it which was green. I didn't know what it was. I thought it looked somewhat like a praying mantis.

     I went inside to do my research and discovered the green animal was actually the cicada emerging from its shell. I read that this cicada was in its final stage of its life cycle. Cicadas live underground anywhere from four years to seventeen years. I had never seen one coming out of its shell. I had seen other cicadas that were brown sitting on trees. There are over 2,500 species and they appear in brown, black or green.                     

 

Diceroprocta

    I was pretty excited in finding an animal I had never seen before because they are often heard and rarely seen. While googling about this particular animal, came across a similar photo taken by in the Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia. It is so amazing to know that from across the world the same animal can appear.
     The cicada is waiting for its beautiful and translucent wings to dry and harden before coming unattached to its shell. I am so glad I didn't disturb this process. The cicada spends the majority of its life waiting on this moment. After spending up to 17 years in the ground, it will only live a short 5 weeks of its adulthood.

      Only the males do the singing. Each species looks different from one another and have their own songs. There are three distinctive songs. One sounds like the word - "pharaoh," one like a sizzling skillet, and one like a rotary lawn mower.                                           
                                                                                                        

The different species sing at different times of day; one favors the early part of the day, another prefers midday and the third takes the later afternoon shift. Cicadas are not locusts, so it is not the end of the world when they emerge. The two insects come from different orders in the scientific classification system. Locusts are the only ones mentioned in the book of Revelation in the bible. They aren't poisonous, they don't bite, and largely keep to the trees. They won't hurt or attack you because they don't move around that much. In China, male cicadas are kept in cages in peoples homes so that the homeowner can enjoy their songs.

      

The cicada is an ancient symbol representing resurrection, immortality, and spiritual realization. 

  

     
   

A Glorious Morning on a Summer's First Day

    As usual, I was searching for anything to take a picture of. Just as I thought I couldn't find anything new, out of the corner of my eye, appeared a couple of white flowers on a vine. I immediately walked over to where they were. I had seen these flowers years before but didn't pay to much attention to them. I took a few pictures and went in to do my research.

    Their scientific name is Ipomoea purpurea. I wish I knew how to pronounce it. Morning Glories are blooming vines that twine around fences. And that is exactly what they were doing. My research tells me their blooms are there to announce the warmer weather of the summer months. It is the celebration of the dawning of a new day. How amazing since it was the first day of summer.




      Their blossoms unfurl in the morning hours to greet the sun and close later in the day as the sun gets hot. I touched the flower to feel its texture and found out it is paper thin and touching it is not advised. Sadly, it breaks easily and each bloom lasts one day.

    It's reaction to the sun is amazing to me. It shows me the sensitivity of the relationship. No other flower does this that I know of. I went out at mid-afternoon and took another picture and sure enough it was beginning to curl. My research also uncovered that the flowers attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, which allows them to be pollinated.

 

    In the evening, I captured one almost closed and realized no sun, no morning glory. Its fragile beauty can only be displayed by the giant star in the sky. I have now learned to appreciate this amazing plant. Although it does not need me to take care of it because it has the butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, soil, rain and sun. It is just a reminder that God provides.
                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                      

Nature's Rarest Color

    While weedeating, I saw the prettiest little flower. It's one of those flowers one might possibly step on. It was growing very low to the ground among the weeds. I accidentally ran the weedeater over another flower that I had wanted to take a picture of, so I told myself that after I finished I would get my camera and take a photo of this two-petalled summer surprise. At first, I thought some petals were missing, but a closer look at all the others nearby revealed that was not true.

    I remembered my son had showed me an unusual mushroom the day before. I had done some research on it and discovered that its underneath part was more vibrant than the top. It was so close to the ground that I couldn't see its opposite side so after taking the flower picture, I grabbed a plastic knife and went to where I thought it was located. Luckily it was still there and I started cutting it from its base. I pushed it over and saw what I was hoping for. Immediately after the cut some blue ink-like substance slowly dripped around its base and I snapped a few shots. Funny, I felt a little remorse concerning this fungus.
 

 

 

 

    In the evening, before I was to join others for a walk around the park, I looked out to see a bird that had become a familiar sight. I grabbed my camera and got a shot as close as I could without scaring it away.

 

 

 

 

I received a wonderful blessing. Blue is one of my favorite colors!